1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a method for flavoring an ingestible composition with a flavoring agent in organoleptically purified form, unaccompanied by substances of natural origin present in mango. The flavoring agent may be used in a wide variety of ingestible vehicles such as chewing gum compositions, hard and soft confections, dairy products, beverage products including juice drinks and juice products, green vegetable and chicken products, and the like. The present invention also pertains to an ingestible composition comprising an ingestible vehicle and an organoleptically effective amount of the purified flavoring agent. The present invention further pertains to ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate represented by the formula, CH3(SH)CHCH2COOCH2CH3, in purified form, unaccompanied by substances of natural origin present in mango. The present invention still further pertains to a method to confer, enhance, improve, or modify the odor properties of a perfuming composition or a perfumed article, which comprises adding to the perfuming composition or perfumed article, ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate represented by the formula, CH3(SH)CHCH2COOCH2CH3. The present invention still further pertains to a perfuming composition or a perfumed article containing as an active perfuming ingredient, ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate represented by the formula, CH3(SH)CHCH2COOCH2CH3. The present invention also pertains to a method for preparing ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate which comprises reacting ethyl crotonate with sodium hydrogen sulfide and sodium bicarbonate to form the disulfide dimer of ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate followed by reducing the disulfide dimer to yield ethyl 3-mercaptobutyrate.
2. Description of the Background
The Generessence™ flavor research program conducted by Bush Boake Allen focuses on developing flavors by employing in depth understanding of the volatile organic components present in a wide variety of samples, for example fruits and herbs and coupling this information to flavor preference profiling. A number of sampling and analytical techniques are used including extraction and headspace analyses often including the sampling of growing fruit or flowers. The flavors are primarily formulated from synthetic chemicals and contain only components identified in the sample. There is no limit to the concentration of individual components used apart from organoleptic considerations. A problem with developing flavoring agents for fruity and herbaceous materials, such as mango flavor, is that natural plant materials do not contain a single flavoring agent, but rather contain a complex mixture of volatile components making identification of characteristic flavors very difficult. The volatiles of mango were analyzed by gas chromatography and a combined gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The volatiles were also analyzed by gas chromatography on a sulfur detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,672 (Kurozumi et al.) discloses organodithiocyclopentanes said to inhibit ulcer formation. The organodithiocyclopentanes have at position 1, a carbonyl group, a hydroxyl group, or a protected hydroxyl group; at position 2, —S—R, wherein R is a monovalent organic group containing 1 to 25 carbon atoms; at position 3, —S—R′, —CH2—R′—, or —CH═R′, wherein R′ is a monovalent or divalent organic group containing 1 to 25 carbon atoms; and at position 4, a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, or a protected hydroxyl group. When positions 1 and 4 are both a hydroxyl group or a protected hydroxyl group, position 3 is —S—R′. Kurozumi et al. also discloses 2-organothio-2-cyclopentenones wherein position 2 and position 4 are as defined above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,505 (Mosher) discloses a flavorant for imparting a pork-like flavor to foodstuffs. The flavorant is obtained by reacting at an elevated temperature in an edible liquid reaction medium a mixture of (a) a source of an amino acid, (b) a lower aliphatic mercaptocarboxylic acid, and (c) oleoresin sage. The mixture contains from about 5 to about 300 parts by weight of amino acid source per part by weight of mercaptocarboxylic acid and from about 0.005 to about 0.3 part by weight of oleoresin sage per part by weight of mercaptocarboxylic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,588 (Louthan '588) discloses a method for preparing dialkyl dithiodialkanoates said to be useful as paint preservatives. The method comprises contacting a halogen with a mercaptoalkyl ester of the formula, R′—O—C—R—SH. R is an alkylene radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms and R′ is an alkyl radical having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms. The mole ratio of halogen to mercaptoalkyl ester is between 04:1 to 0.6:1. The reaction produces a first liquid phase of dialkyl dithiodialkanoate having the formula, R′—O—CO—R—S—S—R—CO—O—R′, and a separate, second liquid phase of hydrocarbon solvent. Representative mercaptoalkyl ester reagents are methylmercaptoacetate, methyl 3-mercaptopropionate, methyl 2-mercaptopropionate, methyl 4-mercaptobutyrate, methyl 3-mercaptobutyrate, methyl 2-mercaptobutyrate, methyl 5-mercaptovalerate, methyl 6-mercaptocaproate, ethyl 2-mercaptoacetate, ethyl 3-mercaptopropionate, propyl 3-mercaptopropionate, isopropyl 3-mercaptopropionate, and cyclohexyl 3-mercaptopropionate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,167 (Louthan '167) discloses a method of preparing mixed esters said to be useful as paint preservatives. The method comprises reacting hydrogen sulfide with an olefinically unsaturated carboxylate of the formula, CR2═CR4(CR2)nCO2R′, wherein R′ is an alkyl radical containing 1 to 5 carbon atoms and R is hydrogen or R′. The integer n is zero or an integer having the value of 1, 2, or 3. The total number of carbon atoms in all of the R and R′ groups is 1 to 15 per molecule. Alkyl mercaptocarboxylates which are produced are represented by the formula, HS—(CR2)pCO2R′, wherein R and R′ are as described above and p is an integer having a value of from 2 to 5. Examples of alkyl mercaptocarboxylates include methyl 2-mercaptopropionate, methyl 3-mercaptopropionate, ethyl 4-mercaptobutyrate, n-butyl 6-mercaptohexanoate, isopropyl 6-mercaptoundecanoate, n-pentyl 6-mecapto-2-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)undecanoate, t-butyl 2-mercapto-2-methylheptanoate, methyl 3,3-dimethyl-6-mercaptohexanoate, and n-propyl 6-mercapto-2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6-nonamethylheptanoate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,134 (Louthan '134) discloses a method for preparing alkyl mercaptoalkanoates said to be useful as paint preservatives. The method comprises reacting carbon dioxide containing hydrogen sulfide with an olefinically unsaturated carboxylate of the formula CR2═CR(CR2)pCO2R′. R′ is an alkyl radical containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms; each R is selected independently from hydrogen and R′; p is selected from 0, 1, 2, and 3; and the total number of carbon atoms in all the R groups does not exceed 15. Examples of alkyl mercaptoalkanoates produced by the catalyzed addition reaction and used in the transesterification reaction include methyl mercaptoacetate, methyl 2-mercaptopropionate, methyl 3-mercaptopropionate, ethyl 4-mercaptobutyrate, n-butyl 6-mercaptohexanoate, isopropyl 6-mercaptoundecancate, n-pentyl 6-mercapto-2-(3-methyl-1-butyl)undecancate, t-butyl 2-mercapto-2-methylheptaneate, methyl 3,3-dimethyl-6-mercaptohexanoate, and n-propyl 6-mercapto-2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6-nonamethylheptanoate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,432 (Roberts) discloses a process for producing mercapto-substituted compounds. The process comprises passing a mixture of hydrogen sulfide and an olefinically unsaturated compound in which the double bond is conjugated with an activating group selected from the group consisting of carbonyl, carboxyl, carboxylate, carboxamide, nitrile, nitro, and sulfoxide. The alkyl mercaptoalkanoates which can be produced by the catalyzed addition reaction and used in the transesterification reaction include ethyl 4-mercaptobutyrate.
While the above disclosure provides some insight into flavoring components, the above disclosure does not provide satisfactory flavoring agents. The present invention provides a novel flavoring agent without the disadvantages which are characteristic of previously known products. The present invention also provides methods for preparing and using the flavoring agents and the ingestible compositions in which it may be employed.